Kansas City business closing midtown shop, citing crime and streetcar construction
Effing Candle Co. is closing its midtown shop at 3703 Main St.
The company’s products will continue to be available online at effingcandleco.com and at a booth at the Made in KC store on the Country Club Plaza. But candlemaking operations are moving to 31st and Campbell, owner Birdie Hansen said in a social media post Wednesday.
She attributed the closing to streetcar construction on Main Street and crime in the area.
“Two break-ins and a 40% dip in in-store sales from 2023 to 2024, and then a 70% dip in the first quarter, made it very clear (the retail shop) wasn’t going to work,” Hansen said.
She added: “Small businesses cannot continue to get punched over and over and over and expect to survive. Midtown, I love you, but Kansas City keeps failing small businesses.”
Effing Candle Co. started as a home business in 2022, later opening the retail shop on Main Street in 2022. The company makes hand-poured candles with names like “Kansas City AF,” “Rooftop Margaritas” and “Sundress Season.”
Hansen didn’t respond to questions about the exact location of the new production facility.
